DOTH Volume 1 Chapter 2.3

When Jung Heeyeon returned, he softly whispered.

“Director, I don’t need this many clothes.”

“Think of it as a Christmas gift.”

Rising to his feet, Director Yeon mentioned the word ‘gift’ as he waited for Jung Heeyeon to come closer.

“Christmas?”

Hearing the unfamiliar term, Jung Heeyeon furrowed his brow slightly.

“You don’t know what Christmas is?”

“No.”

“It’s the day Santa Claus gives presents to good children.”

“I see.”

“Have you never received a present before?”

Jung Heeyeon shook his head. The word ‘Christmas’ was foreign to him. He recalled that there was always a red-marked day in December on the calendar—perhaps that was Christmas.

To him, it had always been an ordinary day, so he didn’t feel any sudden sense of regret even now.

“Then, Heeyeon…”

At the sound of Director Yeon’s voice, Jung Heeyeon looked up at him.

“You can just get all the presents you missed from me. Right?”

The Alpha’s languidly curving eyes made Jung Heeyeon’s fingertips twitch involuntarily. His hands felt ticklish.

Perhaps it was because of the oversized sleeves covering half of them.

Director Yeon stopped in his tracks. He realized the omega, who always followed him like a shadow, had suddenly halted.

Unless he wasn’t in the other’s line of sight, Jeong Heeyeon’s gaze was always fixed on him. When they came to unfamiliar places like this, it wasn’t just his gaze—he would trail after him physically as well.

But today was the first time Jung Heeyeon stopped in his tracks instead of following Director Yeon.

“…”

Director Yeon turned around slowly. His black leather shoes tapped against the white marble floor as he smoothly shifted directions.

Jung Heeyeon was staring at a massive Christmas tree. The tree, which looked to be over 3 meters tall, had entirely captivated his attention.

Director Yeon followed Jung Heeyeon’s gaze to the tree. 

Strings of tiny lights, glowing like fireflies, adorned its branches. At the base, large flowerpots supported the tree, surrounded by gift boxes wrapped in elegant paper—undoubtedly made of Styrofoam. The decorations, though appearing randomly placed, were undoubtedly arranged with meticulous care. As his gaze shifted upward, he spotted a golden star glittering at the very top.

It was a fairly standard Christmas tree, nothing extraordinary.

While Director Yeon looked at it indifferently, he shifted his gaze back to Jung Heeyeon. The cardigan that fit Director Yeon perfectly hung loosely on Jung Heeyeon, its hem dangling past his thighs.

The warm light from the ceiling and the twinkling white lights on the tree complemented Jung Heeyeon beautifully. In a few months, the spring sunshine flooding the sky might suit him even better.

A subtle crack appeared in Director Yeon’s otherwise composed expression.

“…”

He felt a sudden urge. A desire to reclaim Jung Heeyeon’s attention, which a measly tree had momentarily stolen. Even to himself, it was an unexpectedly abrupt sense of yearning.

“Heeyeon.”

Director Yeon called out to Jung Heeyeon.

“Yes?”

At the call of his name, Jung Heeyeon’s gaze returned. Along with it came the response he unfailingly gave every time his name was called.

“I feel upset.”

The words drifted lazily from the Alpha’s lips in a tone that betrayed no actual upset feelings. Caught off guard by the unexpected remark, Jung Heeyeon blinked slowly, his lips twitching as if about to speak.

“Why?”

He fiddled with the cardigan sleeves that partially covered his hands, turning fully to face Director Yeon. Though his movements were slow, they were enough for the cardigan perched on his shoulders to slip downward. Fortunately, since his arms were already through the sleeves, the cardigan didn’t fall to the floor but instead hung loosely on his forearms.

The Alpha’s gaze, which had been resting on the clear, innocent face, slowly drifted downward, following the cardigan that had slipped out of place. His gaze finally paused at the fingers peeking out. Those small fingers were gently gripping the edge of the sleeve. The pale hands bore little color except for the tiny nails.

“Because Heeyeon left me all alone…”

Director Yeon extended his hand, pulling the cardigan up again onto Jung Heeyeon’s shoulders.

“…and now I’m lonely.”

The soft and fluffy cardigan brought warmth back to Jung Heeyeon’s shoulders. It was only then that he realized he had unconsciously been deprived of its warmth.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

In truth, it was Director Yeon who had left first. But oblivious to this fact, Jung Heeyeon obediently apologized.

“Mmhm, alright.”

Casually accepting the apology, Director Yeon began buttoning up the cardigan. Starting from the bottom, his careful fingers steadily worked their way up. There was no fumbling—every movement was precise.

Jung Heeyeon stood still, eyes fixed at Director Yeon. The man lowered his gaze to fasten the buttons, and the scar above his eyelid became more visible up close. It was a wound that might have pierced his eye if things had gone wrong. The sharp, rugged scar unexpectedly complemented his languid, relaxed eyes quite well.

Out of habit, Jung Heeyeon tightly gripped the edge of his sleeve with his fingertips. The ticklish sensation that had started even before they came down from upstairs seemed to intensify, creeping upward in sync with Director Yeon’s touch.

“Heeyeon.” 

“Yes?”

“The tree. Do you like it?”

At the question, Jung Heeyeon turned back to the tree. Under the warm lighting, the tree was just as pretty and dazzling as it had been earlier, easily taking his gaze away with its beauty.

“Hmm?”

Before he could respond, Director Yeon lightly tapped his cheek, bringing his attention back to the man. During the short time Jung Heeyeon had turned away, Director Yeon had already finished buttoning the cardigan and withdrawn his hands.

“Yes, I like it.” 

“Which part about it?”

“It’s pretty.”

“You like it because it’s pretty?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jung Heeyeon nodded. It was his first time seeing a tree sparkle like that. Though he knew it was because of the lights, it still struck him as undeniably beautiful.

Director Yeon’s lips curled into a deep smile at the simple answer.

“Then I guess I’ll need to try harder to be liked by you.”

“Pardon? Why?”

“Why?”

The lighthearted joke elicited a puzzled response, prompting Director Yeon to squint one eye. He studied Jung Heeyeon’s face but, as always, there was no emotion on his clear, innocent expression.

“I already like you, Director. You don’t need to try harder…” 

Jung Heeyeon stated his feelings plainly, without hesitation. Though they had only known each other for a few weeks, he genuinely liked Director Yeon. He appreciated his kindness, his warmth, and how different he was from the adults he’d encountered so far. Director Yeon was the first person who answered questions instead of raising a hand against him. He was also the first to tell him he could do whatever he wanted.

Hearing such an earnest confession from Jung Heeyeon, Director Yeon chuckled quietly. The eyes looking up at him were utterly harmless.

“Heeyeon, do you like me?”

“Yes.”

The ’like’ Jung Heeyeon referred to was undoubtedly different from the ‘like’ exchanged between Alphas and Omegas.

“I told you to stop being cute, but you keep doing cute things.” 

Confused by the remark, Jung Heeyeon simply blinked. No matter how he thought about it, he must have made another mistake.

A few days ago, he had openly asked Kim Jiwon in front of the director, ‘I like wearing Director’s clothes… Do you think there’s something strange with me?’ and Director Yeon’s current reaction reminded him of how he had responded back then.

“Don’t say things like that to anyone else.”

Noticing the other not understanding his words, Director Yeon’s lips quirked up as he lightly tapped Jung Heeyeon’s soft cheek.

“Why?”

“I told you not to act so cute around just anyone.”

Recalling Director Yeon’s words previously, Jung Heeyeon obediently nodded. 

Following Director Yeon’s advice had never led to anything bad, so he figured it was best to listen to any words from him. The problem was that he didn’t quite understand how not to act ’cute’.

While Jung Heeyeon was lost in thought, Director Yeon checked his watch.

“Should we grab dinner before heading out?”

“Director.”

“Yeah, Heeyeon?”

“I want to eat that thing.”

For the past week, Director Yeon had kept asking him if there was anything he wanted to eat. Now, Jung Heeyeon took the initiative to say it first.

Director Yeon was quite satisfied with this attitude of Jung Heeyeon. He had every intention of completely reshaping the omega raised by Chairman Jung. While he didn’t know how long he would keep him by his side, he had no plans to leave him as a submissive omega bound to an alpha. Under his shelter, Jung Heeyeon would live freely, according to his own will.

“That thing?”

“The one Mister Secretary ate at lunch today.”

“Oooh, you wanted that? I doubt there’s a decent restaurant nearby for it… Want me to make it for you?”

“You would make it?”

“Yeah.”

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